Three peaks of the Massif d'Arrious: Lac d'Arrious, Arriel, Petit Pic d'Arriel

This variant via the Passage d'Orteig covers most of the MCTOUL route on the Pic d'Arriel hike and is inspired by the Morti93 route on the Petit Pic d'Arriel hike.

After Laruns, take the D934 leading to the Col du Portalet and, shortly after the Lac de Fabrèges, park at the Caillou de Soques (1,400 m), next to a hut.

(S/E) Take the HRP stage 12 (Haute Route Pyrénéenne) to the northeast, which climbs quite steeply through the forest.

(1) At the edge of the forest, cross the Ruisseau d'Arrious stream on a footbridge (altitude 1560 m) and follow the very wide HRP trail that runs alongside the stream to reach the Cabane d'Arrious hut.

(2) Continue and shortly afterwards pass the Quèbe d'Arrious (altitude 1,885 m) with its hut. The hut is built against a huge erratic rock, forming a shelter for animals, while the hut itself is a shelter reserved for shepherds.

(3) Stay on the main path, which winds tightly, and arrive at a fork (altitude 2,068 m).

(4) Continue straight ahead and eventually reach the Col d'Arrious (altitude 2,252 m).

(5) Turn right immediately and reach the shores of Lac d'Arrious (altitude 2,283 m), just at its outlet into the Ruisseau d'Arrious. Straight ahead on the left, admire this strange isolated mountain overlooking the lake: this is the Pic du Lac d'Arrious (2,495 m). Further away, the two peaks of Arriel stand out above the scree slope.

(6) Leave the lake on your right and take the ridge overlooking the lake, then Lac d'Artouste. Follow the trail, still on the HRP stage 12, which continues to climb away from Lac d'Arrious. Reach the Passage d'Orteig (marked vertiginous and aerial).

(7) It is very wide and equipped with very recent chains and anchors, in perfect condition. Reach an altitude of 2,350 metres and continue for a few hundred metres.

(8) At an altitude of 2,365 m, leave the HRP and turn right into a pile of boulders and continue to bypass the Pic du Lac d'Arrious to the east, while climbing.
South of the peak, make a detour via the clearly visible summit. This section is a little challenging and exposed, requiring the use of your hands, but it is not dangerous.

(9) From the summit, there is a magnificent view of the Arrious, Artouste and Arrémoulit lakes. Head south again. Reach an unnamed pass at an altitude of 2,463 metres.

(10) Then head south-west over a scree slope (in summer) or a snowfield (in winter or spring).
Staying roughly on the contour line, reach the northern tip of a small spur of the rocky ridge below the Petit Pic d'Arriel, following a few cairns.
Climb about 40 m using free climbing techniques. This last section is tricky because it's exposed and you're far from the ground. It's only for experienced mountain climbers with light packs and good skills.
Reach the ridge.

(11) This will be a crossing point on the way back down from the Petit Pic d'Arriel. On much easier slopes, head opposite and join the Lac d'Arrious trail at the Col de Sobe. Follow the end of the Vallon de Sobe, staying slightly higher up on the right bank, on a well-marked trail. Continue straight ahead, heading south, leaving several large snow traps on your right. You will reach the Col de Sobe (2,449 metres), on the border with Spain.

(12) South of the pass is the Vallon du Barranco de Soba, which allows the Spanish (who are very numerous) to climb up to Arriel. Head for the Collado de la Soba o de Alouste viewpoint at an altitude of 2,444 metres for a photo break and a snack. Follow the southern ridge of the pass to the Petit Pic d'Arriel. Leave the Petit Pic on your left. Head for the Col d'Arriel.

(13) You can leave any unnecessary items for the summit of Arriel in a crevice on the pass viewpoint, near a memorial stone.
Then, on the right, a fairly long and fun climb begins, where you have to find your way while staying as close as possible to the ridge, amid more cairns than you need.
Reach the summit of Pic d'Arriel (2,824 metres) after crossing a passage known as "les Pas Japonais" (the Japanese Steps), consisting of flat rocks well aligned on the surface, but quite narrow and a little exposed on both sides. (It took me 4½ hours from the start.)

(14) From up there, there is a magnificent 360° view (see "Sights to see"). There are two relatively well-made bivouac areas and a large cairn at the summit.
After spending the necessary time up there to rest, eat and take photos, you must return by the same route to the Col d'Arriel.

(13) Then head north-west, climbing towards the Petit Pic d'Arriel. Stay on the left of the ridge line, on the Spanish side. Reach the Petit Pic d'Arriel (altitude 683 m) and its cairn at the summit.

(15) There is a beautiful view of the Pic d'Arriel and, with the necessary distance, of the Crête du Palas and its picoulets, passing by the Col d'Arrémoulit, the Col du Palas and the Pic Von Martin (2785 m).
Leave the summit via the north-west face and enter France, descending a reasonable slope without any clearly marked path. Reach the ridge already crossed on the way up, which overlooks the lakes of Artouste and Arrémoulit.

(11) Continue left, west, descending towards the Vallon de Sobe, avoiding the rocky outcrops. Reach the fork in the Vallon de Sobe valley.

Go straight ahead, cross the 5-6m drop to descend to the bottom of the valley and the scree covering the stream. (You can sometimes hear the stream flowing between the boulders.) Descend all the way to the bottom of the valley, sometimes crossing patches of snow that linger late into the summer. Shortly before reaching the ridge overlooking the Vallon du Ruisseau d'Arrious and the waterfall seen on the way up, the trail turns westward through rhododendrons. Cross the Ruisseau d'Arrious and reach the bottom of the valley, where you will find the fork in the trail from the way up.

(4) Then take the same path through the Vallon du Ruisseau d'Arrious on the left, in the opposite direction, until you reach the car park at the Cabane du Caillou de Soques (S/E).

The description is for a "summer" hike completed by two people in mid-June 2025. There are still several snowfields on the route, between (10) and (11), between (12) and (13) and between (11) and (4).
Even without signposts, or even without any trails for more than half of the route, you can complete this route with just a map; GPS or the Visorando app on your smartphone are particularly useful for the climb up to the Petit Pic d'Arriel and the descent on the north-west face.

Parking at the start
The starting point is at the Cabane du Caillou de Soques car park (S/E). The departmental road (D934) is in very good condition and, connecting with Spain via the Col du Pourtalet, is clear in both summer and winter.

Time indicated
I completed this route in 10 hours. This is a reasonable time, including photo stops and a snack break at the summit.
However, allow between 9.5 and 12 hours.

Difficulty
This hike is classified as Very Difficult; most of the route is on marked trails, although they are not signposted. The main landmarks (passes, peaks, lakes) are visible from a distance. However, some sections are off-trail and unmarked, and the last few dozen metres before the summit of Arriel (15) are a little exposed. There are also some fairly steep slopes between (10) and (11) and between (13) and (14).
You need to be fit for a 1,600 m elevation gain.
The IBP Index (automatic route difficulty rating system), a partner of the FFRandonnée, is 171 HKG, which corresponds to a Difficult route for a hiker with a high level of physical fitness.

Water
There are no drinking water points along the route.
Springs, lakes, rivers and runoff water are not guaranteed to be drinkable due to grazing livestock.
Bring >2 litres/person or a filter.

Shelter
There are no permanent shelters along the entire route! However, in the event of a heavy storm, you can take shelter under the rock shelter at Quebe d'Arrious (3): be careful not to confuse it with the ruined Cabanes d'Arrious, which are much lower down in the valley!

Equipment
Bring the usual equipment for hiking in high mountains in summer, including hiking boots, suitable clothing, rainwear, sunglasses, water, food, a survival blanket, a knife, a compass, a map, a whistle, sunscreen and lip balm. You may also want to bring crampons and ice axes for crossing persistent snowfields, depending on weather conditions.

A GPS or the Visorando app on your smartphone can complement your equipment to make the hike truly safe.
Add a helmet to protect yourself from falling rocks on the north face of the Petit Pic d'Arriel and the north-west face of the Pic d'Arriel, even if there is no one above you, both on the ascent and descent. Also bring a headlamp in case you have to return after dark.

Frequency
In summer, the route is fairly busy from (S) to (5).
Beyond that and up to (8), you may encounter a few hikers.
Between (12) and (14), there may be quite a few Spanish hikers, as this summit is very popular.
Between (13) and (4), you generally won't encounter anyone.
The vast majority of this route is therefore in an area with little or no traffic.
Whatever the season, don't forget to tell your friends and family your exact route and let them know of any changes by text or phone.

Météo-France mountain bulletin
Check the weather forecast.

Place names

Quebe, queba, cova means 'rock shelter' in Occitan and Gascon.

If you notice any errors in the signposting or place names on your route or on the map you are using, or anything else, you can become a contributor and report them:
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Account by Henry Russel in 1871
Pic d'Arriel (2,823 m), 3 July 1871
This peak, also known as Soum de Seoube, rises to the south of Lake Artouste and to the south-west of Pic Pallas, from which it is separated by the Port d'Arrémoulit (2,455 m). Crossing Gabas, I took Camy, who is still walking quite bravely despite his age, and following the more or less passable road southwards for nine kilometres, which will no doubt one day reach the Spanish border, we left it fifteen minutes downstream from the Broussette hut to climb left (east) towards the Col d'Arrious. We first crossed a beautiful pine forest, turning back often to contemplate the reddish pyramid of the Pic d'Ossau to the west. Soon we emerged from the woods onto immense pastures full of flowers, vipers and excellent springs. Then, at an altitude of 1,900 metres (or thereabouts), we came to a colossal rock (editor's note: (3)) forming a good shelter, an hour downstream from the pass, still too far from Arrius, where we spent a very good night before the shepherds took possession of it: this is often desirable.

The next day, a good hour's climb (east) brought us to the Arrius pass (2,254 metres) (5), a grassy, hummocky ridge with a beautiful view of the Balaïtous, Pallas peak, Lake Artouste, etc. From here, you can also see two peaks to the south-southeast pointing parallel to the east, one behind the other, like the ears of a frightened horse: the southernmost of these two points is the true summit of the Pic d'Arriel.

Climb south for a few minutes: here is Lake Arrius, long and very narrow, with floating ice (3 July); a light breeze from the south pushes them silently towards us, but they finally break with a crash on the shore. The water and air are a magnificent blue, completely unknown in the plains. There is passable shelter under a rock to the north of the lake, on the right bank of the stream that flows out of it.

Climbing up to the WSW on a rounded, grassy ridge, we descend on its western side into the valley that rises from north to south to the Sobe Pass, open to the west of Ariel Peak.
The slopes are gentle, with lots of snow. An hour from the Col d'Arrius brings us to the Col de Sobe (2,445 m) (7), from where the true summit of Ariel suddenly appears to the east; its western flank is all red, and the whole thing looks threatening, which the climb does not justify, as it is a peak that offers no difficulty from the north and west: the south and east are formidable. The view to the south from the Sobe Pass is very arid: from the top of the Pyrenees, Spain always looks like the Sahara.
We climb steeply eastwards towards a wide pass open to the left of the Pic d'Ariel, between it and the more modest summit to the north. In thirty minutes, we reach this pass (13), from where another half hour of climbing to the south, sometimes very rough but without any danger, brings us to the summit of the Pic d'Ariel (2823m) (14).
Total time from Gabas to the summit (not including stops) = 6 hours. However, you can shorten the trip by an hour by not going to the Col d'Arrius and climbing from north to south through the entire Sobe valley from (4) to (12), which opens up far to the west of the Arrious ridge: very easy.
To the east of the Pic d'Ariel, frightening abysses open up, 800 to 900 metres deep, at the bottom of which sparkle the small Spanish lakes of the same name, and beyond which rise with superb majesty the devilish western ridges of the Balaïtous. In the fog, this whole region is very dangerous.
Here are the points I have noted with the greatest possible care: a large peak to the west, about a dozen kilometres away (the Bisouri); another to the south-south-west (the Castello); the Bondellos group to the south-east; the Vignemale to the east-south-east; the Bout de Sallent to the south; the Balaïtous, Pallas and the lakes of Arrémoulit and Artouste (see maps).
In short, the Pic d'Ariel is a beautiful peak, accessible to almost all walkers, but its eastern region should be feared and avoided.

Bulletin of the Ramond Society: Pyrenean explorations
Author of the text: Henry Russel
Publisher: Ramond Society (Bagnères-de-Bigorre)
Date of publication: 1874

Panorama of the Pic d'Arriel
To the north-east, Pic Palas (2,974 m). To the west-north-west, Crête and Pic du Balaïtous (3,144 m). To the north-west, Le Lurien (2,826 m). To the west-north-west, Pic du Midi d'Ossau (2,884 m), the nearest French peaks.
On the Spanish side, to the south-east, Pico de la Forqueta (2,723 m) and Pico Llena Cantal (2,941 m); to the east-south-east, Pico Frondella Sud-Ouest (2,992 m) and Punda Alta deras Frondielas (3,071 m); to the east, Agula d'Ussel (3,022 m), to the west-southwest, Pico de Soba (2,627 m) and just above the Col de Sobe, Puenta dero Cuello (2,611 m).
Below, on the Spanish side, you can admire several lakes, Ibon de Arriel Alto to the east and, a little further away and smaller, Ibon Chelau. Ibon de Arriel Bajo is nearby to the south-east and even the large Embalse de Respomuso dam a little further away.

All these lakes can be reached by passing the Col d'Arrémoulit (2,448 m) or the Col du Palas (2,517 m), both on the border ridge. On the French side, there are several large lakes: Lac d'Artouste (dam, 1,984 m, which can be reached by the Petit Train d'Artouste), the Arrémoulit lakes (2,265 m; two main lakes, including a dam and numerous smaller lakes) and Lac de Palas (2,359 m). Next to the small Arrémoulit dam is the Arrémoulit refuge (2,305 m).

Just before the Col de Sobe (12)
The last 200 m before reaching the pass are dotted with more or less deep sinkholes, real snow traps that hold snow for a long time in the season, making the landscape quite astonishing.

Alternative
On the way back, you can choose to take the same path as on the way there. Allow an extra 30-45 minutes.